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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Giveaway: The Talisman of El and Author interview with Alecia Stone

The Talisman of El by Alecia Stone

One Planet.Two Worlds.Population: Human ... 7 billionOthers ... unknownWhen 14-year-old Char­lie Blake wakes up sweat­ing and gasp­ing for air in the middle of the night, he knows it is hap­pening again. This time he wit­nesses a bru­tal mur­der. He's afraid to tell any­one. No one would believe him ... because it was a dream. Just like the one he had four years ago - the day before his dad died.Char­lie doesn't know why this is hap­pen­ing. He would give any­thing to have an ordi­nary life. The prob­lem: he doesn't belong in the world he knows as home.He belongs with the others.

Our Interview:

--The Twitter version: tell us
about your book in 140 characters or less.

Charlie Blake is an orphan who is trying to find his place in the
world. One dream changed everything. It was never supposed to be real.

--How did you get the idea for the
story?

In short, I have no idea where the story came from. It was unexpected.
It was only when I finished the first draft that I read over it and released
what it was I had written. It was a great experience for me, as it felt as
though I was reading the story for the first time. Of course, a few factors
influenced Talisman Of El but that was after I had written the first draft. The
first draft became a guide in the sense that I saw where I wanted to go and
where I didn’t. After a few research into some strange real life events, one in
particular about an archaeologist by the name of Colonel Percy Fawcett, who
disappeared in 1925, I started on the second draft. I have a great fascination
for all things supernatural, so it wasn’t hard to open my mind to a world where
anything was possible. Talisman Of El features mythology, magic and adventure.

--Which character would you
most/least like to have dinner with?

From my book, I presume. The character I would most like to have dinner
with would be Candra. She is a very complex character who holds many secrets.
Her life certainly hasn’t been easy, and she has the scars to prove it. I would
like to get inside her head and see what goes on inside her mind. I have a
feeling I would encounter a maze.

The character I would least like to have dinner with would be Jacob
Willoughby. There’s something quite cunning about him. He doesn’t give anything
away, which leaves you wondering just what he is up to. He’s also quite
attentive, which means you most likely wouldn’t get away with anything. He
always seems to be one step ahead. I just wouldn’t know how to get around him.

--What are some of your favorite books? Do you still have much time to read?

Some of my favourite books are Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Peter
Pan by J.M. Barrie, 1984 by George Orwell, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar
Wilde, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Perks of being a Wallflower by
Stephen Chbosky, The Green Mile by Stephen King and The Book Thief by Markus
Zusak, to name a few.

I’d like to say I still have a lot of time to read, but that wouldn’t
be true. My free time has been greatly reduced, but I still manage to worm some
book reading time in there, especially if it’s a book I’m longing to read.

--Do you have any other works in
progress? Any teasers or release dates?

I have two other books to write for the Talisman Of El trilogy. I’m
currently writing book two, which will be released in 2013.

--If a fairy godmother told you your
life could be like a favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and
why?

The book I would choose would be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by
Roald Dahl. I’m not a chocolate person, but I would love to win a golden ticket
so I could enter the factory and experience all the strange happenings that go
on inside. I’d sing and dance along with the Oompa Lumpas. It would be an
exhilarating adventure to explore the world inside the factory. I could come
back out looking like a pancake or an elephant. You just never know. Therein
lies the fun.

--Do you need anything to write (music,
coffee, etc)? Are there any songs on your playlist- songs
that inspired you or that were playing while you wrote?

I don’t necessarily need anything in order to write, but a little music
does give me a push now and again as I am reliving scenes from the book. I
posted a playlist on my site recently of songs that I was listening to while
writing Talisman Of El.

There are a few. I often choose a different answer for each interview
so I can spread out my preferences evenly, so on this occasion, I would love to
have the ability to read minds. Who wouldn’t want to know what’s going on
inside someone’s head? You’d always be one step ahead of everyone else. You
probably wouldn’t make so many mistakes, and even if you did, you’ll always
know how to make up for it by giving people what they want because you know
what they’re thinking. It’s a win win.

--Besides writing, what do you like to
do in your free time?

Listen to music, travel, go to the beach and going to the movies. I
love films.

--Is there anything else you want to add
or say to your readers?

Yes. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me along this
journey. I hope you enjoy my debut novel and I cannot wait to start interacting
with you all. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me via
twitter, facebook or by using the form on my website: www.aleciastone.com

Lightning round: this or that?

Vanilla or chocolate?

Vanilla.

Edward or Jacob?

I’ve become quite the fan of Robert Pattinson, so it’s Edward for me.
Go team Edward!

Hockey or soccer?

Hockey.

Ebook or paper?

Paper.

Salty or sweet?

Gotta be sweet.

Beach or mountains?

Beach.

Phone call or email?

Email.

Early bird or night owl?

Night owl.

Dog or cat?

Dog.

Messy or neat?

Definitely neat.

Ninjas or pirates?

Not a fan of either, but as a Johnny Depp fan, I have to go for pirates.
“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.”

Great to hear what lurks in a writer's mind. The book sounds interesting and love that her fav books include a few of mine. Always looking for new books and authors to add to my fav list. Thank you for the introduction!

I would love to hear from you! (I always try to visit your blog back) I love links, so feel free to link to your blog or a post you like. Sorry, but I am award and tag free zone, I do not have the time to return. Comments are reward enough :)

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Welcome!

I am Brandi Kosiner and this is my personal book blog. I am a 30-something stay-at-home mom to two girls. I love going to Disney, playing video and board games with my husband. I love Young Adult books, with a focus on paranormal romance, fantasy, dystopia and contemporary, especially dealing with illnesses, tough issues such as cutting, eating disorders, issues at home, etc.

Feel free to contact me.with any questions or comments. I love to hear from you!

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I am a personal book blogger. I purchase my books for review, get them from a library, an arc tour, from author or publisher for review, but I am NOT PAID for this service. I do it for the love of books.

I do make some cash from Blogads and Google Adsense, but that money is purely for the ads, not the reviews. Money goes towards upkeep of blog and for giveaways.